Talkshow host and cricket fan Piers Morgan was left battered and bruised after facing an over from former Australian test speedster Brett Lee in the nets at the MCG today.

The face-off began on social media when British-born Morgan launched a Twitter tirade earlier this month about the England team's "pathetic" form as wickets continued to tumble during the second Ashes test in Adelaide.

"Alastair Cook should be fired for that shot. Just dumped as captain right now. Utter, reckless stupidity. Pathetic," one of many rants said.

Morgan, who has played village cricket in Sussex, reckoned he could do better than his countrymen and said he would love to face Mitchell Johnson, imploring England's batsmen to "grow a pair".

When Lee challenged Morgan to face some of his "thunderbolts" in the MCG nets, Morgan didn't back down. "Game on," he tweeted.

Morgan was struck four times on the body by Lee, cleaned bowled once and left flat on his back by another delivery.

Morgan, despite bravado to the contrary, was clearly intimidated by Lee's pace, backing away from the deliveries.

He later tweeted, rather self deprecatingly: "Well I thought that went well... @BrettLee_58."